I. Field of the Present Invention
The present invention relates generally to the construction of vehicle body panels, and more particularly to such body panels combining a rigid structural portion and a deformable foam structural portion.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Vehicle spoilers in the form of air foil type structures which are mounted on the exterior of a vehicle body to reduce drag and smooth the flow of air past the vehicle are known. While spoilers are often constructed of a rigid material so that they maintain their shape and position when subjected to the force of air currents, such spoilers are often secured to other body panels. As a result, it is desirable to minimize the weight of the spoiler structure in order to minimize the strength required in the body panels which support the spoiler and to reduce overall vehicle weight.
Moreover, vehicle spoilers may be positioned for maximum utility in an area of the vehicle where it is exposed to impacts with foreign objects. As a result, it has also been known to form spoilers from an elastic member made of foam material. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,323,274 to Soderberg discloses a support bracket embedded within a foam material forming a spoiler structure. While such a structure is deformable and thus prevents destruction of the spoiler when an object impacts against the spoiler, the foam material must be supported by adjacent rigid materials such as a support bracket or adjacent body panel portions in order to maintain a fixed dimensional shape and contour. Thus, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,274,670 to Pitzmann, forward and trailing portions of the foam material are often resiliently engaged against the outer surface of the vehicle body portions to match the contours of the body panels. Moreover, the finished appearance of such materials often differs from the appearance of the adjacent body panels, and thus affects the ornamental appearance of the vehicle or the ease of finishing the spoiler surface.